Date:  1915

Image Number:  RollTenNeg16A

Comments:  Snowden was the 1300-acre estate owned by Peter Jefferson (1708-1757), a man of Welsh descent who named this estate with a bluff after a beautiful Welsh mountain of the same name.  When Peter died, he left property on the Rivanna River (north fork of the James River) and the Snowden estate, allowing his eldest son, Thomas, to choose between the two properties. Thomas chose the Rivanna River land, leaving the Snowden estate to his younger brother, Randolph. 

The original Snowden home was located at the foot of this bluff and accidentally burned to the ground.  By 1857, the Snowden home was rebuilt further up the bluff, and, as shown in this 1915 Burgess photo, was similar to the original one and noted for its 15-foot ceilings.   Captain John L. Harris owned the house at the time of his death on March 21, 1856. He bequeathed a part of his estate to his slaves, and by 1870 John Schuyler Moon had purchased the Snowden estate.  By 1901, Snowden was owned by Mrs. D.W. Hancock, daughter of John Moon.

Located on the south side of Horseshoe Bend, the Snowden home sat on a high bluff overlooking Scottsville and the James River as shown in this 1907 Burgess photo below.  All the land between the bluff and the James River originally belonged to Randolph Jefferson.  Note that no bridge exists across the James River in below photo, as river crossings still relied on the ferry as in Randolph Jefferson's time.